(Memphis) A group of people on the University of Memphis campus are trying to prove a point: there’s a whole lot of litter!
For the last week, dozens of volunteers picked up trash around the campus and they plan to display it for the world to see on Wednesday.
Volunteers say a huge bag cigarette butts is just one of several bags of butts picked up in the last week.
Sometimes the proof is in the pan when it comes to what’s not in the trash can.
“Just nastiness . I mean who throws this down?” said volunteer Richie Jarvis.
“Drinks, cups, lots of plastic bottles,” said University of Memphis Sustainability Coordinator Amelia Mayahi.
About 60 faculty, staff and students on the campus volunteered their time to pick up what people left behind.
“And again, everything was picked up off the ground,” said Jarvis.
“We pulled out 15,000 pounds of trash out of the lake this past Saturday,” said Mayahi. “Anything that we litter on campus – that is where it`s going to end up.”
It was staff member Mayahi’s idea to show everyone exactly what ends up in our waterways and what’s left over on the ground, even after 25 landscapers comb the campus for litter every day of the week.
It’s a lot.
“We are actually collecting cigarette butts separately to show how much we actually have,” said Mayahi.
“It’s just ridiculous the amount of cigarette butts,” said Jarvis.
Tuesday, it all got weighed and before the litter is recycled or thrown in the trash, the volunteers plan to put in your face.
“Kind of a ‘wow’ factor saying ‘this is how much in one week our campus produces’,” said Mayahi.
If you want to know how much trash in all volunteers picked up, they are going to be placing it on a large blue tarp near the fountain on campus from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday.
If you can guess how much all the trash weighs, you can win a Kindle Fire.
